The largest and fairest criticism levied against sports video games is a lack of imagination and innovation. It’s perceived by a majority of gamers that each year developers make some small tweaks, update rosters, and trot out the same game — knowing full well that FOMO will carry them over the finish line, as players become desperate to have the newest title. Subverting those expectations is a large part of what makes NBA The Run special. Sure, it has its roots based in the NBA Street franchise, which was a modernization of NBA Jam’s DNA, but developer Play by Play Studios has created an exciting, unique foundation unlike anything else in sports gaming, which could blossom into something truly special, provided they can garner the support.
It’s been over a month since NBA The Run was released, and the choice to hold off before reviewing the game was part circumstance and part intentionality to see how it would settle in for the long run. This game is inherently an online-only experience, with the only available offline mode (for now) being practice. That is the design of this game. It’s supposed to be competitive, 3v3 street basketball, which might look purely arcade-focused from afar, but it has serious chops when it comes to being an online game, complete with a burgeoning metagame that makes the experience unlike anything else in sports video games right now.
The fundamental format of the game is baked into its title. Players embark on “runs,” a series of tournaments that end after four wins by taking home the championship against other teams of real players. Lose early and you’ll be bounced back to the menu to start another run, with the reward for winning it all being more XP to level up your account and more in-game currency used to unlock players, jerseys, dunks, taunts, and more. The major wrinkle to this format is that every game in a tournament is subject to a roulette spin that determines the ruleset for the game. You might roll up a standard “first-to-15” game, but there’s also a chance to hit something like “Dunk City,” where all dunks are worth three points, with every other bucket being worth one — and the same exists for three-pointers and alley-oops. These rule differentiations are critical because it ensures there’s no singular strategy that results in an easy win. Field a team of Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant and yeah, you’re going to have the edge in those three point game modes, but hit one that rewards points for dunks, or deducts the opponent’s points for blocked shots and you’ll be in trouble.
Every major NBA star you could ask for is in the game. There are currently 40 NBA players in the game, with almost every team having at least one star player. In addition, there are throwback versions of LeBron James (Cavs rookie), Kevin Durant (Sonic rookie), Steph Curry (rookie), Luka Doncic (Mavs rookie), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Clippers rookie) with unique stats that better reflect where they began their NBA journey, compared to right now. Each of these players is defined not only by their stats, but unique animations that wildly change the makeup of a game. Sure, everyone has the same animation for a running three — but only Dame has a fadeaway from beyond the arc that’s very difficult to block.
These nuances are what make the game special. Composing a team is random unless you run with friends, but a solid team composition is everything to having success. Initially, I tried almost every player in the game to find someone who represented my style, finally settling on Amen Thompson as my go-to player. Thompson operates like a supporting piece, using his lockdown defense and solid passing to be a glue guy on a team with established scorers. I’m not looking to stuff the box score with scoring, but my success is measured through how I can effect the game with steals, blocks, and assists.
Spend more time with the game and the player nuance really lifts the experience to another level. It hurts when you’re up against a good Victor Wembanyama player who knows their block timing, and a good SGA player can be a nightmare on both ends of the floor — breaking ankles with his handling before driving to the bucket, then swiping the inbound pass for another easy bucket.
For all this praise there are unquestionably some pain points to the experience along the way. The decision not to have goaltending is fine, because it keeps games moving quickly — but this has been an area players have learned to exploit with Wemby, parking themselves under the hoops to snatch any three-point attempts that come their way. Last week the game released its first major roster update, adding AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer to the game — with all three being extremely problematic. Developers were so generous with their stats that they are immediately three of the best players in the game, with Dybantsa especially being so overpowered that he towers over every forward in the game.
Developers have been quick to listen to the community and patch the game where needed, and right now these three rookies all need to be toned way, way back. It’s understandable to want to make them good enough to entice people to play as them, but there’s no excuse to make Dybantsa better than Durant and LeBron out of the gate, make Peterson functionally better than Steph Curry in every way, or Boozer to be the best offensive big man next to Nikola Jokic.
Regardless, it’s fun to see these discussions unfolding on Reddit and inside the community. This is the first time I can recall a sports game being discussed in the same vein as League of Legends or Rainbow Six Siege — deep, hardcore esports titles. Not that the input requirements are as taxing, or it’s quite to that level, but this is a competitive game with a chance to really mave waves long term, which is also the achilles heel here.
It’s impossible to discuss the future of NBA The Run without addressing the 10,000-pound elephant in the room: NBA 2K27 is coming. It’s the yearly sports title that no matter how much it can frustrate people, still absolutely dominates the space when it comes to breadth of modes. Ideally there would be a competitive niche that NBA The Run can dominate alongside 2K — but the roadmap for updates feels a little too slow and ponderous when a juggernaut is baring down on the already small community The Run has built. Players are clamoring for NBA legends, opportunities to add the greats from the past into this new format — but it might be another month or two before any meaningful changes are made. Compound this with growing frustration at a slower-than-average progression system and the imbalance of the rookies (which can only be unlocked at rank 25) and it makes for a questionable impression picking the game up late.
If you look at NBA The Run as a game right now then it’s just okay. It’s a fun experience that feels good with its fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay. When looking at the game as a foundation for something in the future, that’s where this gets really special. Developers have built a game which really is unlike anything else we’ve seen in sports games for some time — opening the opportunity to blend real-world athletes with online metagames to make a fascinating tournament game that has real esports potential.
The question is whether this game has the gas to bring in enough players to establish itself by the time that reality is fully realized. I truly hope it does, because the game is a blast — but that is the unknown part of this equation.
